


Songs in the Setting Sun

by Bluepilot



Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Cowboys & Cowgirls, First Meetings, M/M, cowboy!Eugene, singer!Jesse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28449012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluepilot/pseuds/Bluepilot
Summary: A man was stepping onto a small platform by the piano. He was…‘Stunning.’ thought Eugene.A western au.
Relationships: Jesse Coste/Eugene Labao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Songs in the Setting Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thestarminstrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarminstrel/gifts).



> alright, this is my first time doing a secret Santa, and I had a lot of fun with it! based on the western au art by thestarminstrel because it really just made me want to see cowboy!Eugene.

Eugene tied up his horse in the setting sun, leaving her near a water trough. He wiped the sweat off his brow, stripped off his gloves and ducked inside the saloon. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dim lighting inside the building. The friendly buzz of the patrons filled his ears, people milling in between the tables, the bar, and the piano tucked in the corner. Eugene tugged his hat off and ran a hand through his hair, happy to rest his feet for a moment. He waved at the bartender. The man had a stoic look to him, and was currently listening to a short, chatty patron with a bright grin. When he finally wandered over to where Eugene had seated himself, he ordered a whiskey and inquired about the town's lodging situation. He was informed that the town, small as it was, just had a few rooms for rent above the bar. Eugene grinned with relief. If nothing else it was a roof over his head. 

The sun had sunk into the horizon, and as the stars began to emerge more and more townsfolk trickled in, the volume rising steadily. Someone began playing bawdy songs on the piano, and everyone joined in gleefully, out of tune and out of time, but with ample enthusiasm. Eugene happily slid off his stool and let himself get roped into a few songs, slinging an arm around the bubbly brunette next to him.  
“Hey! My name’s Bobby!” he shouted over the din.  
“Nice to meet you! I’m Eugene!” he shouted back. Bobby smiled, and started pulling him closer to the tables, where the noise abated and they didn’t have to shout.  
“So! Are you new in town? I haven’t seen you round here before!” He asked cheerfully.  
Eugene chuckled. “Yeah, I’m just staying a few nights. I’m looking for work, and Exton might have some openings for cattle-wranglers.” Bobby hummed.  
“Y’know, a friend of mine-” he was cut off by the sharp click of heels sounding through the bar. Bobby looked past Eugene’s shoulder, glee in his face.  
“Oh yay! It’s starting!” Eugene turned on his stool, curious as to what might bring such excitement. 

A man was stepping onto a small platform by the piano. He was…  
‘Stunning.’ thought Eugene. The man had hair blonde as cornsilk, and Eugene was sure he’d never seen a sky as blue as his eyes. He said a few quiet words to a man with black hair and a beauty mark at the piano, and a scruffy haired brunette pulled a stool close to the stage, holding a guitar on his lap. The blonde beauty took his place, sauntering to the middle of the ramshackle stage, chin high, eyes sweeping the crowd confidently. For just a moment, their gazes met. Those piercing eyes seemed to cut straight through him. Eugene tried to match the mans stare evenly, raising his glass and peering over the rim at him. The blonde gave a smirk before turning his attention to the crowd before him. He gave a nod to the man at the piano and the man with the guitar, and they launched into a bright melody. 

The man wrapped a hand around the mic and began to sing. His eyes closed, pale eyelashes brushing his cheeks as his voice rang out. Sweet and clear as a bell, Eugene sat stunned in his chair. The man swayed a bit, his voice dripping with charm.  
“Out where a fresher breeze is blowing, where there’s laughter in every streamlet flowing,” He stepped closer to the edge of the stage, opening his eyes to make eye contact with some of the patrons.  
“Where there’s more of reaping and less of sowing,” he sang those lines with a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. It had a bit of an edge to it, bringing a flush to Eugene's face. He pressed himself close to the mic stand, throwing himself into the song.  
“That’s where the West begins.” one of the men in the crowd joined in for the chorus with a harmonica and he shot him a grin bright enough to rival the midday sun. He unhooked the mic and began to twirl a bit around the stage, and Eugene found himself wishing he was his dance partner. He sang of bluer skies and kinder souls, of a-  
“world in the making, where fewer hearts in despair are aching.” He painted a beautiful image with his voice, smooth and with a tone that suggested he was letting him in on a secret. Eugene knew he had to talk to him. 

\- - - - - - - -

Jesse stepped off the stage, drinking in the cheers and applause, blowing a few final kisses at audience members. He fanned himself delicately with his hand, walking to the bar. ‘That is the last time I let Nick pick the song.’ he thought to himself. It was just like his baby brother to choose something with such saccharine lyrics. He sat at the bar and waited for Dante to finish talking with Bobby and get back to his actual job. Pulling out a compact, he combed his fingers through his hair, carefully pushing the blonde locks back into place. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” Jesse looked at the man approaching him. He was a short, dark haired man with a broad grin, dusty boots, and a hat in his hands. Jesse would’ve rolled his eyes, but he usually tried to be less bitchy to people who offered him free stuff.  
“A whiskey sour, if you don’t mind.” He offered the man a pleasantly distant smile and batted his eyelashes a bit. ‘It never hurts to lay it on thick.’ he mentally shrugged.  
The man slid onto the stool next to him and offered a hand to him. Jesse snapped his compact shut, trying desperately to restrain his side-eye. He gently placed his hand in the other mans, giving a rather half-hearted handshake. “My name’s Eugene Labao,” he leaned in a bit, “What’s yours?”  
“Jesse Coste,” Eugene smiled, a charming, crooked thing.  
“A lovely name for a lovely fella,” ‘As come-ons go, a little uninspired’ he thought to himself. His drink was placed down in front of him. Jesse grabbed it and started drinking. The whiskey burned as it went down, but he was thirsty enough that he didn’t care. The silence stretched between them, and Jesse suspected the man wanted him to speak. 

“How long will you be in town?” He asked, keeping his eyes on his glass.  
“Just a quick stop, on my way up north a bit to Exton, then…” He shrugged and grinned. “Wherever the wind takes me.” Jesse arched an eyebrow. "Wherever the wind takes you?" He hummed a bit, swirling his glass absentmindedly. "I suppose it has an appeal." Despite himself, Jesse was intrigued. He was himself originally from Exton, and he had traveled down to Kings Row by himself when he was eighteen and learned of his half-brother. Since then he had stayed in Kings Row. He liked the people, he liked the weather, and for all he complained, he quite liked having Nicholas around. But there was a whole big world out there that he knew almost nothing about.  
“It is nice. Open road, open skies, you can go wherever you like.” Despite his words, Eugene's smile had dimmed quite a bit and he wasn’t looking at Jesse anymore, staring down at the bartop.  
“You don’t sound all that happy about it.” If Jesse was pressing on a bruise he didn’t really care. Eugene’s head snapped up, and immediately he gained a bit of a sheepish air.  
“It’s a great life, one I’m lucky to live.” he shrugged. “I just forget that sometimes. I’m staying in town for a bit to ground myself again.” Jesse supposed that was understandable, in a sense. “Now, tell me a bit about yourself! I feel like I’ve been talking for ages.” Jesse would rather do literally anything else. He took a sip to avoid talking for a bit. 

“I came to Kings Row when I was eighteen. Nicholas is my brother, and he and his boyfriend Seiji had a bit of a musician gig going on." he gestured to where the two were crowded around the piano. "They needed a singer. I like singing, and I like Kings Row, so I stayed." The truth, if not the whole truth. It left out the nights he was traveling, scared and young, and over his head. The days he and Nicholas spent yelling at each other, two idiots who didn’t know how to be family. Him and Seiji, trying to bury their past. He gave a sultry smile to Eugene, hoping to distract him. "I'm not terribly interesting." Eugene was a bit red around his ears, but he wasn't nearly as flustered as Jesse thought he'd be. Eugene would be a fun distraction while he was here, but he didn't need someone prying into his personal life. He leaned forward, placing a hand on Eugene’s knee. He tilted his head, purposefully showing off the curve of his neck. He felt his shirt slip past his collarbones. “So-.” 

Eugene stood up, practically dislodging Jesse. His smile was still charming but now had a bit of an awkwardness to it. “It was awful nice to meet you Jesse.” Jesse blinked. He had no idea what just happened. ‘What the hell?’  
“Likewise, Eugene.” He straightened up a bit. “I’ll probably see you around, huh?” Eugene’s grin widened. He extended a hand. “Y’know it!” Jesse took his hand, expecting him to shake it, but instead Eugene raised it and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Jesse felt his face flush, and wanted to shake himself. He was not charmed. Not in the slightest. It should feel embarrassing, cheesy, over-the-top. ‘But…’ It didn’t. Not at all. It felt sincere, and warm, and like a promise.

\- - - - - - - -

Eugene walked out of the bar, tugging his hat back on. Almost immediately, he ran into Bobby again. “Oh Eugene! There you are! I meant to talk to you earlier, my friends Kally and Tanner have a ranch a little outside of town, and they need a cowhand to help them out!” Eugene was surprised at the flood of words, but Bobby was dropping a golden opportunity in his lap, and he’d be an idiot to pass it up.  
He turned back to the bar, the glow from inside spilling onto the dusty streets.  
‘Well Jesse, guess I will see you around.’ He smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I appreciate comments, but please be gentle. Check out thestarminstrel on Tumblr here: https://thestarminstrel.tumblr.com She's got awesome fence art!!


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